In answer to your question, Lori, let me provide some background on
the exposition organization first. It is completely Native American owned and
operated, as the result of a nonprofit organization formed in 1935 and
chartered under the laws of the state of Oklahoma at that time. This year's
celebration is the 64th, and it has been held ever since it's formation on
the Caddo County Fairgrounds in Anadarko, OK. (A word about this later.)
Fifteen tribes make up the membership of the exposition committee,
the Apache Tribe of Oklahoma (formerly Kiowa-Apache), Arapaho, Caddo,
Cheyenne, Comanche, Delaware, Ft. Sill Apache, Iowa, Kiowa, Otoe-Missouri,
Osage, Pawnee, Ponca, Sac & Fox, and Wichita. Each tribe has a Tribal
Director on the governing committee, and there is also an Arts & Crafts
Director, and a Rodeo Director, Heads of Security, Sanitation, Horse Racing,
Dog Racing, and a Camp Crier.
Each year the committee of Directors meets ahead of the exposition to
consider nominations for the awards, submitted by various sources. Tribal
members and others may submit names to the committee, with documentation on
the individual's accomplishments. Nominations are open throughout the year
to anyone who wishes to make one. The committee's address is P.O. Box 908,
Anadarko, OK 73005. Committee members contact those making nominations for
more information as necessary. Then the committee votes on the two awards.
The Outstanding Indian/Native American of the Year Award has been
made since 1951, and since 1968, there has also been a Celebrity award.
Below is a list of former winners of the Outstanding award. A list of the
celebrity awardees was not immediately available. As can be seen, in some
years the Outstanding awardee was also a national celebrity, in others it
was a local or regional figure. I was told that the committee welcomes
nominations from those outside the area as long as they can be documented.
1951 Jim Thorpe 1973 Lewis Ballard
1952 Elizabeth Roe Cloud 1974 Bill Willis
1953 Allie Reynolds 1975 Billy Thundercloud
1954 Johnston Murray 1976 Former Awardees Honored
1955 Helen L. Peterson 1977 Jay Silverheels
1956 Fred H. Massey 1978 Will Sampson
1957 Joseph R. Garry 1979 Joe Exendine
1958 Acee Blue Eagle 1980 Peter McDonald
1959 Harry J. W. Belvin 1982 Willie Nelson
1960 Will Rogers, Jr. 1983 Billy Mills
1961 W. W. Keeler 1984 Iron Eyes Cody
1962 Maria Tallchief 1985 Crystal Gale
1963 Oral Roberts 1986 Claude Akins
1964 N. B. Johnson 1987 Willie Nelson
1965 Mrs. Fred (LaDonna) Harris 1988 Leander Eckiwaudah
1966 Robert L. Bennett 1989 Mildred Cleghorn
1967 Roy Rogers 1990 Kit Fox
1968 Dale Robertson 1991 Rodney Grant
1969 N. Scott Momaday 1992 Nathan Chasing Horse
1970 Orville Moody 1993 Larry Echohawk
1971 Wilma Victor 1994 Kelly Haney
1972 Dr. George Blue Spruce 1995 Kelvin Sampson
NOTE: Concerning the location of the event and the provision of facilities,
there seems to have been some difficulty this year and last on that score.
The county fairgrounds are ideal for the purpose, of course, but some one or
two members of the Fair Board have persuaded a County Commissioner that the
exposition should be moved somewhere else. The politics of this move are
unclear, and there is no good location in the area beside this one with all
the necessary facilities and equipment. The city of Anadarko welcomes the
exposition and the tourist dollars it brings in, as, it would seem, the
county should. However, this year, numerous roadblocks have been thrown up
in the comittee's face, and they almost didn't have a place to hold this
long-established, traditional celebration! Perhaps members of this list
could help by writing, phoning, faxing, etc. If there's enough interest from
the NA community at large, the pressure could help the situation. I'm going
to compile a list of names, addresses, etc. for the list and will post it as
soon as possible, but in the meantime, expressions of support to the
exposition office address listed above would be useful! Thank you all!
--Liz Pollard
Systems Librarian, University of Alabama in Huntsville
Sysop, College/Adult Students Forum, CompuServe
P.S. Elaine Miles is delightful to work with! I thoroughly enjoyed our
online interaction last night, and I believe she did, too! --Liz